


The Cost of Freedom

by Kiloueka



Series: Limbo [3]
Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Backstory, F/M, Hurt, Limbo, feral androids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-12 22:12:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16004360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiloueka/pseuds/Kiloueka
Summary: When fighting with 2B trying to convince her to stop trying to kill him, 9S accidentally kills her first. At her final request, he escapes and spends the next few weeks on the run until...Backstory, of one of the boys in Limbo.Can be read on its own if you haven't read Limbo or don't want to.





	The Cost of Freedom

“2B stop please!” 9S screamed as he barely dodged a swipe of her pearly blade.

She didn't respond and instead charged at him again and again.

Her movements were clumsy and slow; they were nothing like the kind of prowess she showed in battle with machines. Her face was pulled into a tight grimace as she continued her assault.

“Please!”

“I can't!” She screamed back finally. “You accessed... confidential information...” Her voice strained and cracking. “So I have to..!”

“But there has to be something! Please! Let's talk!” He stumbled back and cried out as her blade whizzed past his face.

“I can't...” She cried as her movements became more and more shaky. “I can't... disobey orders...” She paused as 9S's back hit the corner of the darkened room. Then she charged, sword held high above her head. 9S raised his hands to shield his face and...

“Urgh...” 2B coughed as 9S' outstretched sword pierced through her. He screamed as a spray of blood sputtered out of her wound and a choked cry escaped her lips.

“Wait, 2B! No no **no no** NO **NO**! This isn't what I wanted!” 9S screamed as his hands became stained with the oily red blood of his partner.

“Hhahh... Finally...” She choked and stumbled against the cruel yellowed sword that pierced through her stomach. 9S looked on in horror as she gripped the blade and coughed up a trickle of blood. Her sword fell from her hand and clattered against the ground.

“What? No! 2B just let me...” He reached out to help ease her down, but she simply grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers together. “If I can just get some staunching gel in you that should hold you over until we get you to a healer. Just hold on!”

“I just tried... to kill you...”

“I know and I don't care! We can talk about this! It doesn't have to be like this!”

2B shook her head. “You have to... run... it's the only way... you can survive... for a while... you _have_ to...” She paused to take a slow, rattling breath. “My sword... take it... it has my memories... You deserve to know...”

“Wh...what?”

2B wrapped her free arm around him and pulled him into an embrace, shoving the sword all the way through her body. Blood began pouring faster as the wound was stretched and torn. 9S screamed and stumbled back but 2B squeezed him tighter.

“Listen to me... Nines...” She paused and groaned as a surge of pain wracked through her body. “If you go beyond this door... keep walking... as far as you can. Eventually... you will reach... an exit.”

“2B... p-p-please stop talking.” He choked as he hurriedly dug through his pack for medical supplies. “Just lie down, I can fix this!”

2B simply shook her head and smiled. “There's a... cave system beyond... should be ok... to hide... follow the path... to... the desert... You can... buy... more... time...”

“No. No! I just wanted to talk. I didn't want to do _this_. I'm so sorry!”

“Heh.” 2B laughed weakly and smiled. “It's... ok...”

…

…

“Be good... won't you?”

9S could only manage to force out a strained whine as he gripped her weakening hand harder.

“M y … N i n e s . . .”

She let out one final shudder and went limp against him, causing him to stumble and almost fall. He steadied himself at the last moment and carefully lowered her body to the ground, pulling his sword from her and flinging it across the room.

“YoRHa.... 2B... Bla... ..x si...al... offline... ...th... conf...ed.” Her damaged Pod sputtered out from where it lay shattered against the wall.

"Ugh. SHUT UP, won't you!?" 9S kicked out and sent parts of it flying everywhere. He groaned and looked back to 2B and knelt beside her cooling body.

"Oh, 2B... I'm so sorry." He pulled her tear-soaked visor from her eyes. She had such a complicated look on her face. Her eyes were squeezed shut in a grimace... yet... she smiled such a peaceful smile. It tore at his heart knowing this may be the last he'll ever see of her...

All he wanted to do was curl up next to her body and cry until his tears ran out. But he stroked her hair one last time and forced himself to his feet, pocketing her visor and grabbing both their swords.

“I'll have time.. to cry later...” He choked. “I can't give up now... not when...”

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, shoving everything he was feeling deep down inside him... at least for now.

"Forgive me." He whispered and took off down the hall.

 

It wasn't until nearly twenty-four hours later that he finally collapsed in a small, decrepit building and sobbed into her visor until his consciousness faded and he fell into an uneasy sleep.

 

The next few days were a blur; 9S trudged onward through the endless desert. The permanently midday sun bore down on him and the fine grains of yellowed sand worked their way into every nook and cranny of his body. They slowed his movements considerably until he could find the shade of an abandoned building or a pile of boulders to rest and pick what felt like fifty pounds of it off him.

In those short periods of rest, 9S took to cradling 2B's sword in his hands and diving into the memories she had given him. It felt wrong at first... despite the fact that she wanted him to see, he still felt as if he were intruding on something too personal to look at. But he replayed her words in his head again and again and watched anyway.

Not everything was there, it seemed; she had probably rushed the upload in her final moments... but it was enough for him to learn who she really was, and how she really felt.

He knew she was hiding her feelings. He knew since even before he found out the truth. But he didn't know why... and now... he finally understood how strongly she felt about him. He finally understood why she pulled him so close to her and touched him so tenderly when sheltered in that abandoned diner only to push him away and dash out into the pouring rain unarmed and half-dressed.

He wasn't the first to drift closer to her by far... but by far he was the closest when it came to the physicality of it all. It wasn't surprising considering the way she acted around him sometimes... the way she touched him as if she's done it before... and those strange moments where he felt like they knew each other for a long time, despite only being partnered for just over two months. It was just a repeat from before...

Only two months and he felt this strongly for her... Only two months and he was willing to let her see him when he was at his most vulnerable and trust her to not break him... Only two months and he was willing to die for her... that is... if he just had the time to talk... and realize that what he was doing now was just a short postponement of the inevitable.

 _No no no._ He would think to himself. _She wanted me to live so I'll just keep going as long as I can._

_Have to keep moving._

_…_

_Where though?_

Was he just supposed to keep running until they caught him? Until a machine killed him? Until he fell apart?

He pushed on, holding her visor close to his chest, trying not to think too hard about it. Maybe he'd find his place soon.

It wasn't all bad though.

Despite his Android pursuers, he was still relieved to know he could simply avoid fighting machines instead of having to run headfirst into battle following 2B. Not having to listen to her constant reminders to stay on track or keep his emotions in check was nice.

Although if she had the choice he knew she wouldn't have been so strict with him...

Quietly weaving through the dense forest allowed him to get up close and personal with wildlife he never had the chance to see in person before. He made a mental log of all the birds and mammals that crossed his path and found joy in counting what seemed like a healthy number of birds that were previously recorded as critically endangered.

It was too bad there was nowhere he could log his findings...

Being able to stop whenever he wanted and rest was nice. He could pace himself and not have to worry about being too late for a mission or slowing 2B down. He didn't have to worry about surprise orders from Command or not being able to make small talk when his Operator called him for regularly scheduled contact.

He just wished he could rest for more than an hour without the smallest sound causing him to jump out of his skin.

 _Augh, stop it 9S._ He shook his head and hissed at himself to just enjoy the little things without ruining them for himself.

Every few days he'd catch wind of pursuing Executioners and prepare accordingly. Setting traps was easy enough... but every time he seemed to underestimate their raw power and would end up with a new injury before he finally finished them off... He just couldn't shake the memory of 2B's clumsy panicked attempts to kill him and how wildly different the challenge to dodge her attacks compared to attacks by anonymous Executioners who had no emotional attachment to him.

If she really wanted to kill him... it would have been over in seconds.

He let out a strained sob as he ran his sword through another Executioner's throat, trying to drown out the pained gurgles of her dying breaths.

He hated seeing their blood, he hated hearing their screams. They were just doing their jobs... they didn't know any better... They didn't know what he knew.

He considered telling them but... what good would that do?

Everything is a lie.

Humanity is extinct.

They were fighting for nothing.

Nothing.

But...

If the Androids learned about this their morale would be destroyed...

And the machines would wipe them all out...

So what was he supposed to do?

Continue to let everyone fight for a lost cause forever?

Or basically hand the victory to the machines?

He screamed and grabbed the arm of his most recent kill and flung her into the river already full of long-dead machines.

“Dammit!” He hissed. “Dammit dammit dammit! What do I do?!” He flinched as he just now noticed the strain of throwing her split open an old wound.

The E-Units didn't carry as many medical supplies on them as he would have expected... or hoped. He had to use the entire packet of staunching gel he found on her just to close up the reopened gash.

Roughly a week in by some strange chance, he ran into another deserter; a Resistance member who had simply had enough and walked off one day. 9S spirits were lifted when he revealed he had survived on his own for nearly fifteen years... but they were immediately dashed again when he added that they only sent two or three teams of Androids after him in the first year of him running off. He assumed they had simply stopped caring and decided to cut their losses and leave him be.

 _Hey 2B._ 9S thought to himself. _Do you think YoRHa will stop coming after me if I kill enough pursuers?_ He let out a small snort and shook his head. _Maybe if the reason I ran off was as simple as his I'd have a fighting chance, but..._

Despite all the hardships, he was still happy to have found someone going through the same struggles. Sure, this guy wasn't 2B, but at least he had someone to talk to about the war, about his findings... about 2B... but not about why he deserted.

As happy as he was to finally not be completely alone, he had a nagging feeling that his new friend didn't quite reciprocate. It wasn't until the third day of their travels that he let 9S know his true feelings.

“I want you to leave.” He sighed as he nursed a long, but shallow cut on his arm.

“What? Why?” 9S gasped almost angrily.

“Why do you think?” He snapped pointing at the dead Executioners. “Look as much as I've missed companionship, you aren't worth dying over.”

“What the hell?” He growled, wrenching his sword from her chest and flicking the blood from it before sheathing it. “So what if you've survived out here all this time? Would you really rather be completely alone for the rest of your life?”

“Well, yeah.” He growled back. “I've found my place in this world and not everyone is as clingy and dependent on their murderous partners as you are.”

“Don't you _dare_ say that about 2B.” He snarled. “You don't know how hard it is for her!”

“And another thing.” The Android continued, narrowing his gaze. “I don't like your attitude. You snap at the smallest things and sooner or later you're probably going to bite my head off for saying the wrong thing to you.”

“You'd be like this too if you had pursuit teams sent after you every few days.”

"Well, the funny thing is that I don't. Not until you showed up, at least."

9S growled and began to snap back but a sharp, hacking cough rattled his body and he doubled over for nearly a full minute before it subsided. He pulled himself back up and wiped his face on his arm and stared at the smearing of black sludge on his skin.

“That's _another_ thing I don't like about you.” He said gesturing to the stains. “Whatever the hell is going on with _that_ is not something I want to deal with either.”

9S let out a noise that sounded like a warped hiss before stomping his foot on the ground and turning.

"Fine! Fine, I'll just... ugh!" He stormed off, never once looking back.

 

He cried again that night, holding 2B's visor close to his chest and huddling under a small overhang as the rain beat down. He cursed himself for lashing out at the only ally he would likely ever meet on his journey and scrubbed at the black stains on his arm and hand until the skin itself was nearly worn away.

 

When the rain began to let up, he trudged on, ignoring the lingering drops of water falling from the trees that would have had him complaining endlessly to 2B if they were still together.

But she wasn't there. He was alone. She was alone. And it hurt him to think about what kind of punishment she might be receiving for failing her mission to kill him.

He stopped as a large flap of skin began peeling off his leg, exposing the dark carbon armor beneath. He reached down with his sword and sliced it off before any more peeled away. At least the blood flow had naturally cut off around that foot a while ago so he only had to use a tiny bit of his dwindling supply of staunching gel to stop the bleeding.

9S tossed the flap of skin at a small raccoon that had been pursuing him for the past few hours. It ran up hungrily to it and took one hopeful bite before recoiling and running off, chattering to itself under its breath.

He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the sight. It was hard to find joy in his situation, but when the time came he savored it as much as he could before his dark thoughts clouded in and ruined it for him.

The pursuit teams kept coming, but 9S kept fighting and trudging on despite losing more and more ground each time he clashed with them. His strategies gradually simplified and his fighting style shifted from mostly hacking to an even mix of hacking and swordfighting.

He needed to inflict pain on the ones causing him so much trouble.

He needed them to know what they're putting him through.

He needed to punish them for their sins.

 _Ugh, what the hell?_ He thought after cutting down yet another Executioner. _It's not her fault. It's not their fault. You know this 9S._

He stared at his bloodied blade and then at the fallen Android covered in deep cuts and hissed.

_But that's just how it's going to be from now on._

_In this world. It's kill or be killed._

He stormed off, wiping the trail of tar clinging to his lips.

When the next attack came, he lost it. He released his limiters for just a bit and hacked and slashed through the now-under powered Executioners. His vision went red and he smiled a broken smile as the last one fell at his feet. He kicked her body to flip her to her back and ran his sword into her chest, once, twice, three times before he shook some sense back into himself.

“What the hell is happening to me?” 9S groaned as the pain of his overworked systems hit him all at once.

“I can't... keep doing this...”

He dragged himself to the nearest Pod and began tinkering with it in an attempt to salvage what he could of its hardware. Just as he hoped, its tracking functions still worked for the most part. He punched in what he needed to and...

His finger hovered over the enter key...

What if this wasn't the right thing to do?

What if he should keep trudging on until he died?

What if he should just kill himself right then and there?

To make it easier on everyone.

To make it easier on _her._

To stop whatever was eating away at his mind before he ended up lashing out at an innocent person.

…

Although it wasn't like he was going to just run into anyone but killers out here.

He grunted and hit the key and a pixellated map of the area popped up with a single glowing dot roughly thirty kilometers away.

…

It's far...

But it's doable.

He tucked the Pod under his arm and pushed himself up with more effort than he should have needed.

“Just gotta... keep moving...” He groaned as he trudged off in the direction of the glowing yellow dot.

An hour or so passed and another Executioner came at him but with the help of the broken Pod this time he was expecting her. The moment she appeared from behind a building, he hacked into her and tore down all her defenses in one go. She cried out as her body hit the damp ground but not before she sliced his outstretched hand nearly in half in one go. She immediately ordered her Pod to fire, but he stumbled away just in the nick of time and hacked it as well. It fell by her side with a loud bang and she screamed at him for killing many of her comrades.

“I wouldn't have killed anyone if they had just left me alone!” He screamed back, gripping his severed hand tightly as a flash of rage coursed through him. He stopped and took a gulp of fresh air and pushed the feeling down before looking at her again.

“I'm sorry.” He said. “I know I have to d-die soon, but it needs to be by another's hands. Your motor functions will unlock in an hour. Please don't follow me.”

He got up and rummaged through her pack for gel and slathering all of it on his hand. He continued on the path as soon as he finished, trying to filter out the obscenities she screamed at him.

 

Just one more kilometer to go and he was barely moving... but he kept at it... one foot in front of the other. Keeping his mind focused on one thing and one thing only.

Soon he heard the telltale signs of battle and he picked up his pace as much as his overworked systems would allow. He rounded the corner of a decrepit old building to see _her._

She was alone; facing off against an armored machine nearly ten times her size. She held her ground nicely, but the machine was in no way ready to die. So he dashed forward and hacked into its systems, immobilizing it within seconds allowing her to slice it clean in half. Its lifeless parts clattered to the ground and exploded in a spray of shrapnel and fire.

2B stood up and froze... back still turned to him. Her breathing was heavy and her shoulders shook almost unnoticeably.

“2B.” He said after a minute.

“Why did you come back?” She choked.

“2B... turn around... please.”

She flinched slightly at his words and slowly turned to face him. The moment she caught sight of what had become of him, she stumbled backward as if she had been hit square in the chest. She shook her head and righted herself as quickly as possible and let out a strained gasp.

“What... happened to you..?” She began to take a step forward but stopped and pulled her arms into herself.

“Heh... you E-Units are brilliant fighters... it's hard to...” He paused and bit down his words.

2B took a small step back and averted her gaze to the ground.

“I'm sorry 2B.” He gasped. “I didn't mean... That wasn't meant as a... fuck... I'm so... tired I haven't been able to think straight for... I don't know how long.”

“9S...”

“2B.”

“Why did you come back?”

“You know why.” He murmured.

2B shook her head. “No... no... you shouldn't...”

“Look at me, 2B.” He almost growled.

2B flinched at his words but slowly pried her eyes open and turned back toward him.

“Y-you shouldn't have come back!” She cried. “Now I have to... have to...”

“I know that!” He snapped but gasped and lowered his voice. “I know. But look at me...” He held his arms out to show the multitude of cuts and scrapes along his body. His hair was unkempt, his grimy, stained clothes torn. A large portion of skin was just plain missing from his lower leg. Part of his left hand was cut clean off and sealed shut with a thick layer of staunching gel.

And even deeper than that there seemed to be something else... something off about him... something _wrong_ about him. The way he held himself... the way he breathed... the way he _smelled_.

His blue eyes were not as vibrant as they had been before; it was as if the color was slowly draining from his irises. He took slow, ragged breaths that smelled of rust and souring body fluids and his lips were dotted with black stains from _something_ he coughed up. He pulled his arms close to his body, as if protecting himself... or holding something in.

“What happened to you?” She breathed.

“I haven't powered down completely in over two weeks.” He mumbled. “Every time I lie down I can only close my eyes for a few minutes before some harmless sound wakes me up and I freak out.

“I can barely survive attacks from other Executioners... and you can see it. Every one of them managed to get a hit on me before I k-killed them.” He held up his damaged hand. “This was the most recent... if she didn't have any staunching gel on her I would be even worse off...

“I can't live like this anymore. I can't keep running forever. One of them is going to get the upper hand sooner or later and I'm going to die alone... and I don't want that... I don't want to be alone anymore so...”

“9S... Nines...” 2B breathed, gut churning and heart twisting in her chest. “I didn't mean for any of this to happen... I knew... I mean...” She sighed and pressed her palm to her face. “I knew the others would have... succeeded eventually... but I... I just wanted you to have some more freedom before that...

“But I guess instead I just made everthing—”

“2B.” 9S murmured. “It's okay. You did what you thought was right... I just wish... it could have—” His words were cut off as a deep, rattling cough wracked his entire body. 2B moved to assist him but he held his hand out and she stood back and waited tensely. The cough subsided fairly quickly and he was left doubled over and panting with his hand against his mouth.

“...been different.” He rasped and straightened himself back up. He held out his hand to show a small spattering of dark sludge on his palm. He stared at it for a moment, then back to 2B.

“I attacked an ally.” He sighed. “I ran into a Resistance member who was also on the run... and just... I don't really remember what started it... I think... oh... he didn't want me anymore... He was out there for years and nobody bothered him—”

All of a sudden he gasped and whipped around, hand on her sword. The bushes rustled and a raccoon emerged from the brush and stared at them for a moment. 9S slowly calmed as they sauntered off before glancing at the white sword and the black visor tied clumsily around the hilt. He turned it around in his hands and held it out to 2B. She quietly took it and examined it, but before she could say anything he continued.

“—and then I came along and we got attacked by two sets of Executioners on the same day and he didn't want me there anymore and told me to leave and I just got so mad and I don't know why I was so mad and I was just... I just started yelling at him and I think I said some really awful things and I don't even know why... So I just left... I hope he's ok but I don't know... I don't know anything anymore...”

He glanced at his hand again and pushed it further toward 2B. “I think it happened at around the same time this started.” He sighed. “I guess being alone like that just does that to me... I don't know...”

“Nines...”

He jumped slightly at his name and looked at her in mild confusion. "Oh... I was rambling, wasn't I? I'm sorry."

“What? No. There's nothing you should be sorry about. I should—”

“Oh... sorry... I've been...” He wiped his hand on his pants and looked back at her and smiled softly.

“Hey... 2B..?”

“Y-yes?”

“How much time do you think we have? ...Before you have to...”

She groaned quietly. “...Pod sent a signal to the Bunker the moment you got near so... we probably have about twenty minutes before it automatically sends out a signal to nearby E-units.”

“Heh... I guess it's better than nothing... then... can I ask you something?”

She nodded.

“Can you... hold me?”

“What?”

“I'm sorry, I've just been so alone and I just missed yo—”

9S words were cut off by 2B's arms wrapping around his body and pulling him into her. He let out a small squeak as she put pressure on his injuries and she immediately softened her hold. He didn't care though; he hugged her back as hard as his aching wounds and damaged muscles would allow.

“Nines...”

“2B?”

“I'm so sorry.”  
“I know.”

She ran her hands through his grimy hair and began to sob quietly into him. He pressed his face up against his shoulder and closed his eyes without fear for the first time in a long time.

“Nines..?” She murmured faintly and weakly.

“Yeah?”

“Tell me about what happened... when you were away... I want to remember it so... well... if this damn war ever ends, I can tell the you that survived everything.

“Heh... I can do that.” She hummed as they curled up against a tree.

 

“Alert: One hour has passed since YoRHa unit 2B was issued the command to terminate YoRHa unit 9S. Automatically requesting backup from nearby Executioner models.”

“Goddamit you piece of shit rectangle.” 2B screamed and grabbed the nearest rock but 9S wrapped his hand around hers until she let it fall.

“It's ok, 2B.” 9S murmured.

…

…

…

“Request accepted by YoRHa unit 7E. Please hold; backup is predicted to arrive in five to ten minutes.”

“No! Not yet!”

“2B...” 9S held his voice steady despite every fiber of his being telling him to scream along with her. “I said what I needed to say so...”

“Nines...”

"So, please... I want you... to do this... for me... before I cause you any more trouble..."

2B stifled a sob and nodded. “Don't ever say you caused me trouble.” She turned him around in her lap until he was facing her. She reached out to him, brushing her hands against his face in such a gentle way that he couldn't help but lean into it.

“Thank you... 2B...” He breathed. “Even though it hurt... even though it was terrifying and rough and exhausting... thank you for giving me the chance to make this choice.”

“What ch-choice? I didn't give you any choice.”

“I think you did... I know how strong you are... I know you didn't really want to kill me... I know how easy it would have been for you... You know that too.”

She nodded slightly and sniffed.

“I'm sorry.” He murmured.

“I'm sorry.”

“I just... want you to know one more thing...” He said weakly. “I forgive you... 2B... for everything. Don't ever forget that. There's nothing you could ever do to make me hate you because I...” He paused and let out a strained sigh. “I love you, 2B.”

2B's hands tightened around him and she let out a single sob.

“Even after all of this?”

“Even after all of this.”

“...I love you too, Nines.” 2B murmured back, lifting her head to look him straight in the eyes. She slowly blinked her tears away before pulling him forward and brushing her lips against his faintly. His skin tasted sour and his breath was heavy on her face.

She didn't care though. As long as he was happy in his last few moments.

9S closed his eyes and smiled as he imagined everything was ok in that moment. That his body wasn't falling apart, that he felt no pain, that he would open his eyes and the war would be over and that the kiss they were sharing was in celebration of their spectacular victory.

When he finally pulled back, he realized 2B had slid her hands down around his throat and was slowly lowering him to the ground. He didn't resist, he kept smiling as she climbed on top of him and pressed her body against his.

She was so warm.

She tightened her grip around his throat, harder and harder. His body involuntarily spasmed in response, but he forced himself still and simply focused on how connected they were in that moment. His head felt light as the blood flow to his processors was cut off...

But he felt no pain, only a serene warmth that radiated through his whole body as everything slowly went dark. He held his smile as long as he could until a loud snap rang in his ears and his world went black.

 

7E slowed her advance toward her destination when the sound of helpless sobbing filled her ears. She sighed and closed her eyes for a brief moment before rounding the final corner to see 2B... 2E curled over the battered and lifeless body of the partner she's seen her with many times before.

She approached carefully and knelt beside the grief-stricken Executioner until she turned a dull, teary eye to the newcomer.

“Again, huh?”

2B gave a single, shaky nod before burying her face back in 9S' chest.

“I'll mark the mission as complete.” She said quietly, placing a hand on 2B's shoulder. “You just let it out as much as you want and I'll help with whatever you need.”

“Thank... you...” She responded weakly.

7E sat silently nearby until 2B exhausted herself crying. She pushed herself up with more effort than expected and looked to her fellow Executioner. She gave her a nod and offered her a hand to stand. 2B took it and wobbled to her feet before bending back down to gather 9S in her arms. She shook her head as 7E offered to help, and instead asked for her company in her trek back to where she was to dispose of him.

She stumbled down the path in a daze, cradling 9S in her arms as 7E walked close by in silent solidarity.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 7's coming along bit by bit. I was hoping to finish it this weekend but probably not. Soon though!


End file.
